ZC shocked by death of Kevin Curran

It is with great shock and sadness that Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has learnt of the tragic passing away of national team selector, cricket committee member andMash Eagles coach, Kevin Curran in Mutare early this (Wednesday) morning.

Mr Curran collapsed suddenly while jogging and the exact cause of death has not been determined at this stage. He was in Mutare with the Mash Eagles team preparing for their T20 fixture against Mountaineers.

"We are still in shock, Kevin was the epitome of health and we have yet to makesense of this tragic loss," said ZC managing director, Wilfred Mukondiwa. "KC's past and continued contribution to the game of cricket is unquestionable and dates as far back as his playing days up until the phenomenal work he had been doing at Mash Eagles. The cricket fraternity has been dealt a great blow, " added Mukondiwa.

"I have yet to meet a man more passionate about cricket in this country," said Mash Eagles chief executive officer, Vimbai Mapukute. "KC had put his heart and soul into developing our franchise and had great plans for our high performance gym and other facilities, his passing will leave a huge void atMash Eagles and I feel that I have not only lost a key business ally but a friend as well," added Mapukute.

The two fixtures that were scheduled to be played between Mash Eagles and Mountaineers today and on Thursday have been postponed while Mid West Rhinos and Southern Rocks who are playing in Masvingo will observe a minute of silence in honour of Kevin Curran.

Details of the funeral arrangements are still to be finalized and ZC will advise ofthese during the course of the day.

About Kevin Curran:

Kevin Malcolm Curran was born in Rusape in the Manicaland province, on the 7th of September, 1959. He completed his secondary education at the then Marandellas High School, and then proceeded to concentrate on cricket, rising to become an international player. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and middle-order batsman, he first played for Zimbabwe in 1980, and among the tours he went on were two to Sri Lanka and one to England plus the 1983 and 1987 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cups. In between his international appearances, Curran played county cricket in England, where for five times he scored 1000 runs in a season. He played for Gloucestershire and then moved to Northamptonshire where he played until retiring at the end of 1999. He alsoplayed for Natal and Boland in South Africa. Back home, he was appointed the national team assistant coach. He left the post to head the Namibia team. He returned to Zimbabwe in September 2004, and was appointed director of coaching at the CFX Cricket Academy in Harare. InAugust 2005, he replaced Phil Simmons as national team coach.